Activity+9

=Activity 9: Discussion - Real Life Situations =

Listen to this activity: media type="file" key="Activity 9.mp3"

Much like the traditional classroom, students in the e-classroom need to find relevance in their coursework. Through the use of real-life situations as a springboard for collaboration, student learning and the opportunity for success is greatly increased. Sull (2010) noted the importance of showing students how their coursework is linked to the real-world rather than only holding the scope of X credits for Y grade (p. 101). Beddoes, Jessiek, and Borrego (2010) identified the use of problem-based collaborative activities as an effective method for developing active learning and professional skills (p. 8) and Sungur, Tekkaya, and Geban (2006) summarized the use of real-life situations in the classroom setting as a method to "improve interpersonal skills, critical thinking, information seeking, communication, mutual respect and teamwork" (p. 155). It is evident through research that there is a prominent need for the integration of course material that is directly linked to post-educational experiences. Given the various types of collaborative activities, it is relatively easy to develop opportunities for authentic learning. Role playing may be one of the more simple methods for promoting collaboration. Each student is assigned a role for a scenario and they are to interact. If this is done through logged synchronous or asynchronous methods, it is easy to evaluate the level of collaboration by each learner. Questioning is another form of collaboration that is relatively straight forward and does not require much abstract thinking or technological skills. Each learner has grown up with different background and educational experiences which leads to a variety of personalities and beliefs in the e-classroom. As the instructor poses critical thinking questions, related to the course material, students are able to express their opinions, constructively criticize other's opinions, and ultimately learn from each other's experiences. Each method for collaboration can be created in such a way that they build upon the need for relevance. One example could include a history class studying Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement. Students could research, identify and discuss areas in the current world which have modeled or are modeling similar actions. The instructor could then facilitate a collaborative activity where students are to analyze the successes of such countries and groups of people around the world. References Sungur, S., Tekkaya, C., & Geban, Ö. (2006). Improving achievement through problem-based learning. //Journal of Biological Education //, 40(4), 155-160. Retrieved from EBSCO//host //. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Beddoes, K. D., Jesiek, B. K., & Borrego, M. (2010). Identifying opportunities for collaborations in international engineering education research on problem- and project-based learning. //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning //, 4(2), 7-34. Retrieved from EBSCO//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">host //. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Sull, E. (2010). Secrets of the successful online instructor revealed!. //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Distance Learning //, 7(4), 98-102. Retrieved from EBSCO//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">host //.